DAHLONEGA – Behind a strong final round on Tuesday afternoon, the No. 5 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's golf team battled its way to a runner-up finish at the 13th Annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial.
After finishing the first 36 holes of the tournament in third place, the Nighthawks rallied and closed out the tournament at 7-under par in the final round for the best showing of the day in a field that featured 10 teams ranked in the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) national rankings. The round marked the second-best 18-hole score in program history.
"The girls have worked for every piece of this moment," head coach Sierra Campbell said after the tournament. "They just continue to be and stay gritty, and today was the exact same ... We're not going to go down without a fight, and it was a lot of fun."
Dallas Baptist captured the tournament title with a score of 852 (-12). North Georgia's runner-up finish at even par marked the second-best 54-hole score in program history.
Three Nighthawks finished inside the top 10, led by Ellie Jane Riner's historic all-tournament team performance. The junior now holds the 18-hole individual program record with a 65 (-7) in the final round to secure a third-place finish. Riner has now posted three all-tournament team showings in UNG's first four tournaments of the 2026-27 season.
"You just continue to see EJ grow; all of [the players] are," Campbell said. "Three years in, she's definitely finding her footing ... She's a lot of fun to coach and a lot of fun to have as a teammate for sure."
Abby Franks closed out the tournament strong with a 69 (-3) on Tuesday to finish tied for sixth. Franks put together one of the best tournament performances of her collegiate career, setting a new personal best with a 54-hole score of 212 (-4).
Mackenzie Connell added another Nighthawk to the top 10, finishing tied for ninth with a 70 (-2), which marked a new 18-hole career best.
Leigh Allen, Camryn Wright and Claire Bradford rounded out the standout performance from the Nighthawks. Allen finished the tournament at 13-over par after carding a 77 (+5) in the final round. Wright's 79 (+7) gave her a 12-over-par finish, while Bradford, competing as an individual, finished at 19-over par after carding an 86 (+14) in the final round.
The Nighthawks will look to build upon one of the strongest performances in program history as they wrap up the fall portion of their schedule at the Intercollegiate at Nemacolin from Monday, Oct. 19, through Wednesday, Oct. 21, in Farmington, Pa.
